Buffalo Bills News - September 9, 2003

Game Two: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills [8:25 PM]Jaguars.com reports:
'There are four former Jaguars on the Bills: OT Marcus Price, an original Jaguar and sixth-round draft choice from 1995; TE Ryan Neufeld, who was a Jaguar in 2000; LB Jeff Posey, who was with the Jaguars in 2001, and WR Bobby Shaw, who played for the Jaguars a year ago.'

Adams' INT Return Up For NFL Play of the Week [1:51 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Sam Adams' 37-yard interception return for a touchdown is among the five Week One nominees for the NFL Play of the Week.'

Law: Time to look ahead [1:26 PM]Quincy Patriot Ledger reports:
'Law said Milloy may not have been the reason the Pats lost the game, but Milloy did prove a point - that he could still play football at a high level. The notion that he had lost a step was floated when the Patriots cut him loose. ‘‘I think he proved a point, exactly,'' said Law. ‘‘I think he proved to you guys (media) who doubted him, to the organization, regardless of what they thought, and to himself. He got something off his back by proving he was as good, if not better.'''

Milloy starts new chapter in Buffalo [1:14 PM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'It was a welcoming feeling,” he said of Sunday’s player introductions when he was the last Buffalo defender to exit the inflated helmet. “From leaving Boston the way I did, rejected, to coming here and getting my name called out and getting the fans going, it just felt like I’d been here my whole career."'

Pals, fans give Lawyer send-off fit for a King [11:22 AM]Boston Herald reports:
'The Buffalo Bills' new tackle titan Lawyer Milloy was bowled over by all the love shown by 400 New England Patriots fans who packed a Boston bowling alley last night to raise money for his charitable foundation...``The city of Buffalo and my teammates welcomed me with open arms, but the city of Boston, I love you and thanks for lettin' me be me.'''

Bills Alumni Spotlight: Ernie Warlick [11:21 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"These fans were just crazy. I just loved them. To come here and see this kind of support, even when we first got here, and it hasn’t diminished at all, I just wanted to give my heart and soul to the team and be a winner. I wanted to participate in the community and just offer all the support I could from the standpoint of a player on the team. It was just fantastic," said Warlick, who was presented with the Ralph C. Wilson Distinguished Service Award three years ago. "I was recognized as having played a part in not only the community, but the team back then. I made that my life’s work, playing professional sports, and to be recognized like that, that’s the ultimate."'

Bledsoe keeps victory in perspective [8:55 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"I think it was a little bit of a statement game for us," Bledsoe said. "We came out and said, "Listen, it's not just on paper where we got better. We actually can take it to the field.' But that being said, in this league you've got to prove it every week. We made a bit of a statement, but we also woke some people up."'

Spikes nails fans' affection in Bills debut [8:55 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"I checked out every one of them, man," Spikes said Monday afternoon. "Empire Sports, ESPN, CNN, ESPN2. I checked out everything. It was a sight to see."'

QB Doman added to practice squad [8:54 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"He gives you a threat on the perimeter," Williams said. "He gives you a threat with his feet that should he ever get in a ball game he can makes some plays out of nothing."'

Donahoe's efforts successful so far [8:10 AM]Dunkirk Observer reports:
'Although it was only one game, there was undoubtedly something different about this Bills team that I haven't seen in quite some time. Come to think of it, probably since the seasons surrounding that opening-day win over the Rams in '92 I had mentioned earlier. Could you feel it?'

Buffalo Bills replay [5:21 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'Who was Bill Belichick trying to kid when he kept denying that the Lawyer Milloy saga had nothing to do with his team’s performance? He kept saying the Bills totally outplayed the Patriots, and he was right, but to think his strange release of Milloy and his subsequent signing by Buffalo did not play a factor in the game is out of touch with reality.'

Wire still stands tall [5:20 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'“ Coy is a special young man and he made some significant plays in the special teams, plays that were needed for us on open-field plays,” Williams said Monday. “ He’s a good football player.”'

M&T signs 5-year marketing agreement [5:19 AM]Business First of Buffalo reports:
'M&T Bank has signed a 5-year marketing agreement with the Buffalo Bills that gives the it high profile exposure at Ralph Wilson Stadium and the status of "official bank" of the Buffalo Bills.'

Milloy issue lingering [5:18 AM]Boston Globe reports:
'"Lawyer is no longer here. To my understanding he's probably not gonna come back, so we can't count on that. I mean, I want my granddaddy to come back, but I've been waiting a long time and he ain't coming back. The chances of me suiting up here with Lawyer again, you know, miracles can happen, but I don't see any. As soon as we win or as soon as they lose, things are going to be forgotten."'

Defeat a team effort [5:17 AM]Boston Globe reports:
'The Patriots came out with a surprising lack of emotion, considering it was opening day, against a division rival, with Milloy and Drew Bledsoe on the opposing team. "There wasn't really a lot for us to build on and that is because we didn't make enough plays for us to build positively on," Belichick said. "I think it is hard to be emotionally positive when things aren't going well and they certainly didn't go well early in that game and that is our fault."'

No big comeback for Pats [5:16 AM]Boston Herald reports:
'Even when the Patriots were down 21-0 to the Buffalo Bills at halftime on Sunday, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin was convinced his team could erase the deficit.'

Belichick stays away from Milloy issue [5:15 AM]Boston Herald reports:
'Patriots coach Bill Belichick said the club does not intend to pursue allegations of personnel tampering by the Washington Redskins in their pursuit of strong safety Lawyer Milloy.'

Law: Let gones be bygones [5:13 AM]Providence Journal reports:
'"He got something off his back by proving that he can go out there and he's still the same player he's always been and even better," Law said. "If you put anybody in the right situation, they can make plays. Lawyer's one of those types of guys. He proved to everyone that he has not lost a step. He makes plays. Everyone will have a down year. Hall of Famers have down years."'

Patriots Seek To Put Loss, Milloy Behind [5:12 AM]Hartford Courant reports:
'But Law agreed with his teammates that it was foolish to believe that Milloy joining the Bills led to the Patriots' loss. "It was a distraction early in the [previous] week," Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour said. "But it had nothing to do with [losing] 31-0. People got to come, people got to go. That's a part of life. You're still a professional athlete. If someone lets that affect them, that's their fault."'

Milloy left hole in heart of secondary [5:11 AM]Metro West Daily News reports:
'Truth is, the Pats may go 15-1, 1-15 or 8-8, and we'll never know what the events of Sept. 2 had to do with any of it. Milloy may be a big part of the Bills winning the division. Or we may find out he's lost a step, that his overall game has slipped, which the Pats hinted at. Six, eight, 10 weeks from now, with a lot of football played, we'll know a lot more about the Patriots and Bills, and the true meaning of Lawyer Milloy being up there instead of down here. In the meantime, only this matters. Bills 1-0, Pats 0-1.'

Perhaps Patriots lost more than Bills gained [5:10 AM]Woonsocket Call reports:
'It’s impossible to conclude that everything that went wrong against the Bills can be traced directly back to Tuesday when Belichick cut Milloy, though everyone has the right to make an educated guess. It is, however, entirely possible that the Bills were simply a better-prepared team. Or perhaps they’re just the better team.'

Jags haven't found ticket to fans' hearts [5:08 AM]Florida Times Union reports:
'Two days before the NFL blackout deadline, there are still 9,871 tickets to be sold to avoid the first television blackout of a home opener.'

Bills Make Practice Squad Moves [5:07 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'Doman was drafted by San Francisco in the fifth round of the 2002 Draft out of BYU and was the 49ers third quarterback for every game last season. He was in the Niners 2003 training camp but was released prior to the start of the regular season.'

Patriots-Bills Game Notes [5:06 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'The 31-point margin of victory tied the 12th largest in team history and was Buffalo’s largest since 10/30/94 when the Bills defeated the Chiefs, 44-10.'

The Day After: Gregg Williams Comments [5:04 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"I have the same attitude today as I had yesterday. It was a nice win but it's only week 1 and the first one. We've got a lot to work on."'